UC San Diego Washington Program (UCDC)

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice.

Since 1997, the UC San Diego Washington Center has provided students an opportunity to intern in the nation’s capital while continuing their academic course work. The program is open to all students who have completed ninety units toward graduation with a 2.5 grade point average. Students earn twelve to sixteen units of academic credit, continue to be registered full-time, and fulfill university residency requirements.

Students maintain financial aid eligibility; the amount can be adjusted to reflect the additional costs of the program. Fellowships and scholarships may be available. Students live in the University of California Washington Center, located in the heart of Washington, DC.

Internship—Students work as interns in federal agencies, interest groups, trade associations, the national news media, museums, research institutions, or in other organizations related to policy, politics, science, and culture and geared to the interests and objectives of individual students. Political Science 197I: six or eight units of academic credit, depending on the number of hours worked.

Research Seminar—Drawing on the internship experience, each student participates in a seminar and undertakes an independent research project. Political Science 194 (or depending on the student’s major, one of the cross-listed equivalents): four units of academic credit.

Elective Course—Each student may enroll in one upper-division seminar course at the Washington Center. These courses are taught by the different campuses’ resident faculty and change each quarter. Typically they include a mix of political science, international relations, other social sciences, history, and the arts and humanities. In addition to regular instruction, these seminars may take advantage of the Washington locale and often include guest speakers and fieldwork activities. Two to four units of academic credit.